DIY quail cages: step by step instructions, dimensions and drawings

Properly made quail cages are a must. The meat and eggs of these birds are nutritious and he althy, therefore they are popular with consumers. To provide birds with increased egg production, comfortable conditions should be created for quails, which are close to natural. Cells can be purchased or made by hand.

Cage size calculation

Quail is a bird from the genus Pheasantidae, order Galliformes. It is small in size, lives in nature, and is extremely difficult to tame at home.Therefore, keeping birds in cages is considered the most effective way to achieve good productivity.

Sizes must be calculated based on the total number of livestock. A full-fledged family is needed to grow and breed quails. It should consist of 5-7 females and one male. If the purpose of keeping quails is solely to obtain eggs, then up to 25 birds are placed in one cage. For fattening for meat, the conditions of detention are similar, but the owner should take into account that there is a high probability of fights among males. For such cases, an isolation room for violent roosters should be provided.

Design for a small number of birds

Before you make cages yourself, you need to have an idea about the size of this bird, then calculate the area. The average weight of a male is 140 g, and that of a female is 180 g, with a body length of 12 cm. Quail stocking density should be up to 100 cm^2.

Approximate cage sizes for parent stock quails:

for 10 heads - 30x75 cm;
for 20 heads - 40x90 cm;
for 30 heads - 45x150 cm;
for 50 heads - 75x150 cm.

Before starting work, you need to make an approximate drawing in order to understand the scope of the work ahead. In some cases, a temporary version is made - single-tier cages made of frameless mesh, designed for twenty heads. You can build multi-tiered structures for forty birds or more.

Requirements

Any species of animals and birds that a person keeps to get meat, milk, eggs, require special conditions. It is necessary to familiarize yourself with them in advance in order to be prepared for possible difficulties. Among the requirements for facilities for quails, and in general for their maintenance, are the following:

air humidity in the room where birds are kept should be between 18-20 °C;
the room should be bright, warm and ventilated if necessary;
inaccessible to rodents and predators;
feeders and drinkers are placed outside the walls of the cage;
only the bird's head should pass between the bars;
structure height - no more than 20 cm to prevent sudden jumps, as a result of which birds are often injured;
for egg-laying birds, a tray for rolling eggs should be placed on the floor;
Place a litter tray under the mesh floor to make cleaning much easier.

Feeders and drinkers are placed outside the front wall

If necessary, cages should be equipped with an additional light source and heating.If any errors in care are made, the plumage of the bird will be the first to signal this, and egg production will sharply decrease. Therefore, the manufacture of cages must be approached responsibly.

Selection of accommodation

For quails, even minimal comfort will be enough. The place chosen for placing quails should not be in direct sunlight. Otherwise, the bird may get heat or sunstroke, which will negatively affect its he alth and productivity.

It is important to exclude drafts. A bird, especially a young one, does not grow and develop well if the cage is located next to an open window and is constantly exposed to air flow.

The optimum air temperature at which quails are comfortable is from 16 to 24 ° C. At low temperatures, heaters should be used. Noisy surroundings affect the birds very badly. They are prone to stress, which negatively affects egg production.Therefore, placing a cage with birds in the same barn with other animals, especially those that behave very restlessly, should not be. Better find a quiet place.

How to make a cage with your own hands at home

Cage drawing

Any design must include:

framework;
door;
gender;
egg chute;
tray for collecting garbage and litter;
feeder and drinker.

For manufacturing, it is necessary to determine in advance the materials that are suitable for keeping quails.

Wooden

Wooden structure

To make a homemade wooden cage, you will need to purchase slats. You can make a frame out of them. The floor must be tilted forward. Its ending should go beyond the framework and end with a certain limiter. Laying eggs will roll there.

From a sheet of galvanized iron, you can make a pallet and beat the cage inside with it. For drinking bowls and feeders, make the necessary holes. Build a bolt on the door.

Cage made of wood

Metal mesh

Metal mesh cage has a number of advantages. From it you can perform a multi-tiered structure. Step by step instructions:

Bend the grid sheet in several places to form a rectangle. The device must include a floor slope, gutter, limiter.
Make the ends from chipboard or plywood sheet, attach the mesh using the corners.
In the place where the door should be, cut a piece of wire and attach it to the curtains.
After the holes for the drinker and feeder are cut out, the burrs must be carefully cleaned.

Material should be chosen dense and hard, so that the design will serve for a long time.

From plastic boxes

This design is suitable for temporary placement of birds

Temporarily quails can be placed in plastic boxes. To do this, you need to prepare containers of the same size. Saw off the legs on the drawers, use the bottom one as a pallet. The remaining containers should be connected with wire. Cut holes for drinking bowls and feeders. The door is made on the ceiling by cutting a hole in the bottom of the top drawer. Quail eggs should be collected in a timely manner or a chute should be built to roll them.

From plywood

Making a cage out of plywood or chipboard is easy.Cut out the ceiling, end, side walls from plywood. Cut holes for the door and drinkers with a feeder. Treat with an antiseptic for the safe keeping of birds. Attach the parts to each other with screws and corners. Next, cut the floor, taking into account the angle of inclination.

From a drywall profile

Cellular Stacked Battery

From a drywall profile, you can build a cage rack for 100 or more heads. The rack contains from 3 cells, which are placed on top of each other. However, initially you need to complete a diagram or drawing.

Drawing of a single-tier cage

You will need a three-centimeter profile for drywall (under the frame), as well as an eight-centimeter profile for feeders. A frame is made from a three-centimeter profile, which is connected with screws. The rest of the structure is constructed from a metal mesh.